Aging gracefully

Mid-Michigan organization provides specialized senior resources

According to the 2010 census, there were
about 79,000 people aged 60 or above in the tri-county area, comprising
Eaton, Ingham and Clinton counties. The Tri-County Office on Aging,
founded in 1974, was designed to improve the quality of life for
Lansing-area seniors — and take a lot of the guesswork out of things
that could cause anxiety and confusion.

“What we’re offering to the community is
an invaluable resource that, hopefully, everyone will need someday,”
said organization spokeswoman LeeAnna Olson. “The TCOA has many
longstanding services, but we’re always developing new programs to
better fit the changing needs of the growing senior population.”

The
group’s highest profile program is Meals on Wheels, which provides food
to shut-ins and people who are temporarily laid up at home because of
injury or illness. Within the last month, TCOA unveiled its
Community-based Care Transitions program, which targets high-risk
seniors who have recently been released from the hospital.

“The goal is to help people make the
transition back home as smoothly as possible,” Olson said. “We try to
help people take control of their own health and be proactive. It’s
designed to keep people from having to go back to the hospital by
providing basic help and information.”

Olson said that many people don’t
completely understand the full implications of what their doctor tells
them — including dietary recommendations, medication schedules and
exercise regimes — after they’re released from full-time hospital care.

“They usually just nod their heads and
the hospital lets them go,” Olson said. “We make sure they know what
they need to maintain their health, and provide everything from
transportation services to making sure they have food in their fridge
when they walk in the door. It’s a really easy time to get confused; we
organize all that chaos.”

The organization subsists on federal
grants as well as private donations. Vaughn Thompson is the TCOA’s
fundraising and volunteer specialist

“Our two biggest fundraisers are the
upcoming 25th annual golf outing, and the fall dinner/auction, but we
get creative anywhere we can,” Thompson said. “And we’re always
accepting donations auction items. We know the economy is hard for
everyone, but we’re dedicated to giving our seniors all the care they
deserve.”

“We focus on helping seniors keep their
independence and dignity in the setting of their choice,” Olson said.
“And of course, ensuring their high quality of life.”